Man of Legend
by queenvampire
Summary: The Forbidden Forest contains many paths, some of the reaching further than should be possible. Dropped over the forest on his way to the Durselys, Harry finds himself raised differently to expectations- with the founders themselves. However, peace cannot last forever, and he will quickly find himself back where he started - in the middle of a war he wants nothing to do with...
1. Prologue

_**In the beginning:**_

The moon glinted over the trees, glimmering light sliding between the branches to touch upon the backs of the beings that lurked there. It flickered in the ripples of the black water, disturbed by the travel of fish, and of darker creatures. Towering over forest stood a tall castle, the white stone gleaming in the stars. Many of the windows were dark; the rooms within cold and unused. However, at the top of the tallest tower, a single candle spluttered and burned in a window.

"What do we do?" murmured the woman. Her hair hung in a single ponytail, its dark strands cascading down her back. Her face was pretty, but the spark of wisdom in her eyes stood out far more. Upon her head rested a simple diadem in the shape of an eagle, the single blue jewel complementing her simple dress.

"What can we do, Rowena?" queried the man across the room from her. He paced back and forth. The woman, now identified as the Rowena Ravenclaw, looked up from the item she was studying in great detail. As she glanced around the room, she noted Helga fussing with a blanket for the object they were creating such a fuss over, and Salazar crouched opposite her. He seemed fascinated with the small child, who could not have been more than a year old.

"Well, we certainly can't send him back, that's for sure. We don't even know how he got here… poor child…" Helga spoke out. She walked over and laid the blanket over the baby. The child gurgled and waved a hand in her direction, causing her to smile, and Salazar to stare in even greater fascination.

"Well we can't keep him here! Where would he stay? Who would look after him? Does anyone here even know how to care for a child? I don't!" The first man, Godric Gryffindor, cried.

"I will." Salazar declared. The other founders rounded on him and stared in shock. "What? I want to. I've never really seen a baby up close… and he seems… well, the only way to describe it is _familiar_, but I've never met him before, so I don't know why that is. Anyway, I want to keep him. What else would we do with him anyway?"

Helga paused, and then said, "Caring for a child isn't that hard. I practically raised my little sister when we were children. We could do it. I mean, we'd need to research things, and buy the appropriate supplies, but I think it could work. Besides, we need more people here. It's going to be a while before we can open the school anyway, and it's too quiet here. A child could help us all, I think." Rowena stood up from where she was sat and nodded. Salazar looked up from the child, and stared at Godric, silently pleading him with his eyes to let them keep him.

"Oh, all right! But I don't want to have to deal with his mess, ok? Maybe it will be good for us all." Godric said with a great huff. The other three founders looked at each other and smirked slightly. All though Godric was, perhaps, the strongest wizard among them, he lacked in patience what he made up for in courage. With enough nagging and pleading, and the occasional burst of puppy-dog eyes, they could get the energetic Gryffindor to agree to almost anything.

"He'll need a name." Rowena pointed out, ever the logical voice of the group. "We can't keep calling him child."

"Name him for his eyes." Godric declared. "His eyes are the most interesting colour. I've only ever seen that shade of green through magic. They're brighter even than any jewel I've seen before."

"No," said Helga, "Name him for something more important than that. Name him for his new life. Name him for the forest where we found him." Godric frowned, but nodded. Rowena looked at Salazar for his approval, and finding it in his smile she bent over the tiny boy.

"All right then. Welcome to the family, Arvid." She declared, and pressed a kiss upon his brow.

* * *

**AN: Short, I know, but I didn't have much time to write this. I'm very slow to update, so this story will take a long time to actually get anywhere, but I hope you guys like it :D**

**Arvid: Look it up, but it's an old Nordic name, I think. It basically means 'forest of eagles', and I thought it sort of fitted.**


	2. Chapter 1: The Naming of A School

**_Chapter 1: The Naming of A School_**

High pitched squeals and shrieks rang out through the corridors, echoing down passages and reaching the ears of one Godric Gryffindor. And just in time, as a small multi-coloured bundle zoomed through the door to his chambers and tackled him around the legs with the power of a small horse. Frantic yelling followed him, and pounding footsteps, as Salazar Slytherin appeared panting in the archway. As he skidded to a stop, the small child wrapped around Godric's shins giggled, and reached up for a hug. Lifting him into his arms, Godric let out a booming laugh, much to the displeasure of Salazar.

"Merlin, that child is faster than any broom I've seen." He huffed as he collapsed onto Godric's desk chair. His once dignified appearance was somewhat ruined by the way his hair was tangled and knotted, and his cheeks were pink from his frantic chase around the castle.

"Well, it's only to be expected. He's learning what he can get away with - and running away from you seems to be something he's good at." Godric let out another reverberating laugh. The child in his arms squealed in delight as he was bounced up and down. "Come now, let us find the others. It must be nearly time for supper. Won't that be nice, Arvid?"

"'Upper! 'Upper!" cried Arvid. He wriggled around until Godric set him down on the floor, whereupon he ran to Salazar, and reached up again. Sighing, the Slytherin complied, and lifted the boy up, before turning and making his way down to the Great Hall.

When the trio reached the Great Hall, Salazar once again set down the small boy. At the end of the hall was a grand table along which was placed many seats. There were also four lower set tables running the length of the hall, designed for students to use. However, that dream was still a while away for the aspiring Founders. However, the fact remained that they were getting closer, indicated by the middle-aged woman sat with Helga Hufflepuff and Rowena Ravenclaw at the main table. This woman, Professor Pyran, had recently been invited see if she wanted to aid with the teaching at their new school. Although each of the founders were well versed in their subjects, there were somethings they could not cover, such as Astronomy, Divination (much to Rowena's horror, and Godric's amusement) and some aid in Transfiguration. The woman was fairly pleasant, if a little dreamy, and seemed to spend most of her time retreating to her chambers and reading one of her impressive collection of books.

"Godric, Salazar - finally. Do you know how long we've been waiting? Honestly, you two have no sense of manners." Rowena lectured. Helga rolled her eyes good-naturedly, and turned back to the discussion she was having with Professor Pyran about Pygmy Hippogriffs. "Oh, Arvid, were they stopping you from coming down here? Honestly boys, you should know better than to keep Arvid from his supper. He's still a child, and if you can't look after him, we won't trust you to be alone with him. Just because you can go for hours without food, debating new curses, or battling… whatever it is you actually find to fight, doesn't mean he can. Now, come to Auntie Rowie, baby Arvie, and we'll get you some dindins, ok?" she cooed. Godric gawped at her, while Salazar slumped down in his chair. Helga hid a snigger behind her hand, and even Pyran seemed to look amused.

"It's no use, Godric. I've tried before." Salazar moaned. "She doesn't listen. For all that she's the smartest witch I've ever met, she can be astoundingly naïve sometimes."

"That, my dear friend, is the story with all women, no matter how smart they are. Show them a pretty face, and they're willing to give up the world - or their exceedingly handsome male friends!" Godric exclaimed.

Helga smirked. "Still sore over your lose to that France gentleman last weekend? I told you, we never bet on your side in card games. You always lose!" Godric merely huffed, and turned away from her, only to be met with the snickering face of his friend in his other side.

"She has a point, Godric." Salazar said. He wasn't even attempting to hold back his amusement now, his chortling bordering on giggles at the look on Godric's face.

"Oh!" Godric cried dramatically. "I have been so foully betrayed by my dear friends! Oh, those who are so close to me! How could you have done this! To abandon me to the whims of some foreign tyrant, immersed in trying to win from me both my money and my pride! Oh, the tragedy!" At this he rose from the table, and scooped poor Arvid up from where he was trying to eat. "Think of the influence you are inflicting on this small child! Dear, dear, Arvid. In 10 years' time, he shall be either gambling away his fortunes like his handsome yet modest role model, or will be stealing money of poor, innocent, good-looking chaps, whose friends have left him for a luckier gambler!" By this point in Godric's tirade, Rowena was trying to snatch back the panicking Arvid, who was at no risk of falling, but liked to pretend he was in order to catch Rowena's attention, Salazar was laughing so hard he could barely breath, and Helga was contemplating why she ever became friends with this bunch of lunatics.

It took some time, and plenty of ranting from Rowena, before they could all settle down to eat. Over the meal, the conversation led to the future of the school, and what more needed to be done. Once they had finished eating, they retired to one of the many spare rooms in the castle. With a flick of Godric's wand, a fire burst up from the fireplace, illuminating a room decorated with light blues and creams. As they settled down, Arvid crawled to the window and stared out at the setting sun over the Black Lake.

"You know," said Godric contemplatively, "we still haven't decided what we will name this place."

"Something meaningful." said Rowena. "This place is meant to serve the future generations. It needs to stand strong for a thousand years, and teach every generation. That's why we're building this place." Helga nodded her head in agreement. Salazar looked thoughtful for a moment, before he too inclined his head in approval.

"I'm not sure." Said Godric. The others looked over in surprise. "What? It's just that, we set this place up not only to teach, and to protect, but to create friendships. To make bonds that last forever. And to let children be children. We mustn't let them grow up too fast. Not ever. Didn't we all learn that from our own pasts?"

"It's true…" Helga added hesitantly. "The reason we set up this place was so that people like us could find each other - like we did…" Rowena didn't look convinced, but Salazar seemed less hesitant.

"What are you suggesting instead then?" Rowena asked. "It's all very well to say that, but it can't be something stupid like… I don't know, one of your silly ideas." She huffed. "But very well. We'll see what we can do."

"Why don't we ask a child?" Helga said. "It's their school, so they should have a say."

"But we need to name the school before we can get the students…" Salazar pointed out.

"Why don't we ask Arvid?" Rowena said. "He may one day end up here, if he shows signs of magic, which given that he can see the school and its surroundings seems likely. He would be a good student, I think." They turned as one to look at the boy. Feeling uncomfortable under so many eyes, Arvid stood and shuffled behind a small table in the corner. The adults watched in bemusement as he tried to wiggle himself into a gap that wouldn't have fit a mouse, let alone a growing 2 year old, before turning and scrambling up onto the closest of his parent figure's laps - in this case Salazar's.

"Arvid… Arvid!" Rowena cried to catch his attention. Once they were certain he was listening, they asked him the all-important query. "Arvid, what would you like to call the school? Arvid, what kind of name would you like to have the school to have?"

However, the four Founders had, for once, failed to factor an element into an equation. They forgot the attention span of a 2 year old. Especially this two year old, who was just learning to walk talk and grasping the very basics of reading. Sat on the lap of a famous potions master, and distracted by the very pretty pink lights in the sky outside, his mind wandered back to his day spent helping out in Salazar's lab, and he began to remember some of the bizarre and obscure ingredients he used. Therefore, when Rowena asked that all important question, he said the first thing that came to mind, no matter how strange it was, or how bizarre it was an answer to the question asked - Arvid was two, he didn't care!

"Pig puss."

After some muttered debates, a look of horror from Rowena (mixed with some intrigue at the mind of a child), a large amount of eye rolling and face palming on behalf of Helga and some 'good-natured' fights between Godric and the Ravenclaw, Hogwarts was born.

* * *

**AN: Hope you all enjoy this, sorry if it's a little short. Please R&amp;R :)**

**Also, I'm considering making this slash (male x male, for those of you who don't know) but whatever it is, it won't be heaving on the relationship front... I'm not even sure this has a plot yet, so just wait and see ;)**

**And I'm sorry if I made Rowena seem really mean. She's not. It just turned out that this chapter needed someone to contradict with the others a bit, and this is what happened. I'm sorry.**

**Ok. I'm gonna go. Don't forget to favourite :)**


End file.
